March 28, 2021

Photos credits by Karen Giles and Madison Whitcomb

MADISON, S.D. – Valley City State (N.D.) outscored Dakota State (S.D.) 19-1 to earn the North Star Athletic Association softball doubleheader sweep Sunday afternoon at Thue Field.  The Vikings won the first game by the score of 10-0, followed by a 9-1 victory in five innings in the second game.  VCSU pounded out 20 hits combined compared to DSU five hits.

Dakota State fell to 6-13 overall record and 0-3 NSAA conference record.  Valley City State, receiving votes in the latest NAIA Softball Coaches' Top 25 national poll, won their fifth game in the last six games to raise their overall record to 10-3 and 3-0 record in league.

Both teams wrap up their four-game series with a contest Monday afternoon.  First pitch is set for 1 p.m.

Game 1:  (RV) Valley City State (N.D.) 10, Dakota State (S.D.) 0 – FINAL

• Valley City State started fast in the first game of the doubleheader, plating two runs.  Joelle Aiello led off with a single and advanced to second base after Anne-Elise Gest's walk.  Sierra Crocker recorded a sacrifice bunt to advance Aiello to third and Gest to second.
• The Vikings grabbed a 1-0 lead when Marissa Hawkins produced an RBI single to score Aiello (Gest advanced to third).  VCSU extended their lead to 2-0 as Gest scored from DSU's wild pitch in the top first.
• Valley City State added two more runs in the top second frame.  Andrea Rodriguez kicked off the inning with a walk.  She advanced to second after Jessica Husband's sacrifice bunt. 
• Crocker hit an RBI single with two outs to score Rodriguez as the Vikings ballooned their lead to 3-0.  With bases loaded situation (with walks from Aiello and Hawkins with Crocker on second base), Makenzee Stone earned an RBI walk to score Aiello to make it 4-0 in favor of VCSU.
• The Vikings' lead grew to 5-0 in the top fourth, thanks to Crocker's double to advance Gest to third after her walk.  Hawkins hit an RBI sacrifice fly to score Gest.
• Riley Perryman and Autumn Perry kicked off the top fifth with back-to-back singles.  Both Danika Balvik – pinch runner for Perryman – and Perry advanced one base after the Trojans' passed ball. 
• Rodriguez produced an RBI sacrifice fly to score Balvik for 6-0 VCSU lead.  Husband followed up with an RBI single to score Perry to balloon the Vikings' lead to 7-0.
• Dakota State was unable to convert their scoring chances in the bottom half of the fifth inning with bases loaded situation, despite a double by Melissa Krapf. 
• The Vikings hit three straight singles from Rodriguez, Husband, and Aiello to start the top seventh inning with a bases loaded situation.  Rodriguez scored home caused by DSU's defensive error to make it 8-0 VCSU.  Crocker added an RBI sacrifice bunt to score Husband to as the Vikings' lead grew to 9-0.
• Valley City State made it 10-0 from another defensive error committed by the Trojans.
• VCSU outhit DSU 13-3 in the game. 
• Krapf and Mackenzie Sims each had a double for Dakota State.  Xitlali Lopez added a single.  Madison Aldendifer and Xotchil Lopez each reached on base by a walk.  Aldendifer swiped one base.
• Crocker went 2-of-3 at the plate with a double, single and drove in two runs for Valley City State.  Hawkins added a single and collected three RBIs.  Aiello had two hits and scored three times.  Gest and Rodriguez each had a single and an RBI.  Stone and Husband each had two hits. 
• The Vikings left ten runners on base compared to the Trojans six runners on base.  Both teams made one double play in the game, defensively. 
• Xitlali Lopez (L, 4-5) tossed a complete game, despite the setback in the pitching circle for DSU.  She allowed ten runs (three unearned) on 13 hits.  She registered four strikeouts.
• Amber Stewart (W, 4-1) earned the victory after tossing 4 1/3 innings.  She limited the Trojans to three hits and recorded nine strikeouts.  Emily Smith pitched 2 2/3 shutout innings in relief.

Game 2:  (RV) Valley City State (N.D.) 9, Dakota State (S.D.) 1 – FINAL/5 innings

• The Vikings used another fast start to kick off the second game of the doubleheader.  After the first two outs were recorded in the top first, Crocker reached on base by a walk.  Hawkins drilled a double to advance Crocker to third base.
• Stone hit a 2-RBI single to score Crocker and Hawkins to give VCSU a 2-0 early lead in the top first.
• Valley City State plated three runs caused by Dakota State's defensive error with two outs in the top third frame, ballooning their lead to 5-0.
• The Trojans scored a run in the bottom half of the fourth inning.  With Sarah Torres on first base after a fielder's choice, she swiped to second base.  Xi. Lopez reached safely on first base caused by VCSU's defensive miscue, allowing Torres to score home as the Trojans trailed 5-1.
• Xo. Lopez added a double to advance Xi. Lopez to third base with two outs in the bottom fourth but could not convert DSU's scoring chances by the end of the inning.
• VCSU exploded for four runs in the top fifth inning, capped by Husband's RBI triple to make it 9-1 lead.
• The Trojans could not extend the game into the sixth frame as they left a runner in base, securing the win for the Vikings.
• Xotchil Lopez had a double for Dakota State.  Lia Chan added a single.  Aldendifer reached on base by a walk.  Torres and Madissen Larson each recorded a stolen base.
• Hawkins sparked Valley City State's offense two offense and scored three times.  Husband added a triple, single and an RBI.  Stone had two hits and two RBIs.  Perryman recorded a single and an RBI.
• VCSU outhit DSU 7-2.  The Vikings left five runners on base compared to the Trojans three runners left on base.
• Xo. Lopez (L, 0-2) recorded the defeat after working 4 2/3 innings.  She allowed nine runs (four unearned) on seven hits.  Rosie Philop tossed the final out of the top fifth in relief.
• Smith (W, 6-0) stayed undefeated this season after pitching a complete game.  She retired the first nine DSU batters of the game.  She gave up one unearned run on two hits.  Smith struck out seven Trojan batters.

Nick Huntimer, Dakota State University Sports Information Director